Study: Gun training (not gun bans) can help reduce tragic child violence
WASHINGTON, DC -- The shooting of a Michigan 6-year-old may focus renewed attention on a federal study with an unconventional conclusion: Giving kids more access to guns may actually help reduce such tragic incidents in the future, the Libertarian Party said today.
"Instead of using the death of Kayla Rolland as an excuse to impose more gun control, politicians like Bill Clinton should read this study -- since it demonstrates that children who are taught by parents to use guns responsibly are far less likely to commit crimes," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director.
"No, we can't say that this particular shooting could have been prevented -- or that this troubled 6-year-old should have been given a gun by his equally troubled parents. But what we can say is that, in general, the most effective way to reduce firearm-related violence among children is to buy them a gun and teach them how to use it responsibly."
That surprising discovery is contained in a study by the federal government entitled, "Urban Delinquency and Substance Abuse," which was conducted from 1993-1995 by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
In an effort to determine the relationship between "problem behaviors" like drug use, teen pregnancy, and crime, child psychologists tracked 4,000 boys and girls aged 6 to 15 in Denver, Pittsburgh, and Rochester, NY.
The findings were a slap in the face to "conventional wisdom" about children and guns, said Dasbach -- and a sharp rebuke to Bill Clinton's renewed calls for mandatory trigger locks and other gun control measures in the wake of Tuesday's shooting in Mount Morris Township, Michigan.
According to the study:
* Children who get guns from their parents don't commit gun crimes (0%), while children who get illegal guns are very likely to do so (21%).
* Children who get guns from parents are less likely to commit any kind of street crime (14%) than children who have no gun in the house (24%) -- and are dramatically less likely to do so than children who acquire an illegal gun (74%).
* Children who get guns from parents are less likely to use drugs (13%) than children who get illegal guns (41%).
* "Boys who own legal firearms have much lower rates of delinquency and drug use [than boys who get illegal guns] and are even slightly less delinquent than non-owners of guns," the study reported.
* "The evidence is in: When it comes to preventing youthful violence, responsible parents and the Second Amendment apparently work better than politicians' irresponsible proposals, such as so-called smart-gun technology or mandated safety locks," said Dasbach.
Are Libertarians saying that every parent should buy their child a gun?
"Of course not," said Dasbach. "Deciding whether to give your son or daughter a gun -- and teaching them how to use it -- is a serious decision that every parent will have to make. Many parents will properly decide that their children are not mature enough to learn how to use a gun safely. But the point is: Responsible parents are better able to make that decision than a bunch of irresponsible politicians in Washington, DC.
"Such an enlightened approach to gun ownership will not bring Kayla Rolland back to life," Dasbach acknowledged. "But it would make it less likely that another Kayla Rolland would die in such a tragic and pointless incident. And that would be a step in the right direction."
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